The Wilmingtonian., 1887-02-05
Mr.. Rnrcs, Sneech.

The speech of the Hon. George ii. Bates
of Wednesday night last quite eifeotually
dhposesof the more prominent argument.
OF hose whose opinions endorse cons i,n-
tiojal reform by the method of Legislative
ennetments. Mr. Bates is emphatic lily in
fa, ur Of the Conventional method. He bold
ly states that constitutional reform by legis-
lattge enactment is absolutely impossible.
He proves this by arguments not by empty
assertion, In evidence of his opinions M.
B. 'es taps the well-f!l-d storehouse of bis
ex Drieuce in the legislative halls at Dover.
He recounts the numerous honest attempts
at reform by legislative enactment which
VT Q essayed at different. sessions only to be
mrL with by repeated pigeon holiugs or talk
in by successive legislature, and in some
i'm ances, by their tota! oblivion. An in
Ct. nee was cited where an amendment (the
jud cial amendment Of 1889 was passed by
thu General Assembly, having previously the
recommendation of the Governor and a warm
those of Kent aud Sussex which did not re-
ceIve from the Legislature OF 1885, to quote
Nj. Bates Even the cold courtesy of be-
ins called up. aud referred to committee,
and all the labor extended upon it was
visited. Nobody seemed to remember it !;
nobody paid any attention TO it. l watched,
iIiug the session to bee If anything would
be done about it, but it seemed TO have been
lost sight of, even by those who had begot-
ten it. Now and then it was talked of in
Wilmington, but it seemed TO be expected
as a certainty that it would be defeated by
the opposition of some OF the judges, ad led
to that of some members of the bar who
were rputed to be "ppused Of it, although
their uames had be,n sgued to the memoir
iai which l had, two ye trs before, presented
to The Legislature in favor OF it. Finally
the General Assembly adj 'ul ned aud it re-
mained-"wiIhout grave-uuknOll'd, un-
coffin'd and unknown ~
The above affords the best argument, If
not to refute, at leas to clearly demonstrate
that in regard to the legislative enactment
methud, the words applied by Asssmbl man
Ferguson of Appoquinimiuk, to the Co,.ven-
tinnal method, fall back upon that legisla
tCrs assertions with telling force. Mr. Fer
guson said at Dover the 26th inst.
''Iu a constitutional convention all sorts
o. men with all kinds of reform ideas, hot
bles and cranky notions will abound. Tie
good will probably be overweighted by the
bad, the practical by the visionary, and the
wise measures of the disnterested refurmeJ
by the selfish schemes of the ambitious poll.
tician. Aud, therefore, especially in the pre-
sent unsettled and conflicting public senti.
ment regarding both the proper measures
aud mode of constitutional reform, it is most
p'obsble thatithe work of constitutional
convention would prove as futile and fruit
less as did that of 1852, which resulted il
nothing but useless talk and needless taxa
t0n to cover its cost.
1t is l'aT, at least to those who have care
fully read Mr.. Bates words that the abov,
criticisms are what exactly apply to the me
thod of legislative enactment upon all occas
ions other than tho'e when signal indiffer-
euce in regard to reform did not distinguish
the results Of Dover delibeFatiaps,